The Commander and the Saiyaness
by Apollo1147
Summary: In a time when Earth is at peace from the Ice-jin Empire, a new monarch is in power with a new vision and his more trusted confidant. While they try to bring the Ice-jin race into a new age, a woman imprisoned under Frieza's rule surfaces. Can a Saiyan ever fit into Ice-jin society, and can love heal wounds that have run deep for a lifetime?


This is a story set after the Frieza and Cooler Saga/Movie, but is a cast of completely original characters created by hippiechic and myself set far, far away from Earth. My writing partner and I obviously do not own DBZ in any way, shape or form, but these characters are most definitely and completely ours!

* * *

Chapter One: Introductions

"Just ahead is the medical bay," Kiron announced the information on his copy of the ship's schematics, "and across from that lies the lock-down area. Which shall we inspect first, My Lord?"

Frost never diverted his eyes from directly ahead. He had inherited this disaster of a prison compound from his cousin, when Cooler rushed to some faraway planet called Earth to seek revenge for the deaths of King Cold and Lord Frieza. The last act Cooler had undertaken before leaving the port had been to commandeer the most advanced ship in the fleet, leaving only rust buckets behind for Frost's use; of course, no one ever imagined he would never return from his voyage. Therefore, no one had made any provisions for his prisoners on this forlorn rock, and it had taken Frost years to discover its presence, much less travel to the outskirts of their territory for an inspection.

"Let us inspect the brig for any vermin. They should be secured before we continue," Lord Frost stated simply.

"As you wish." Kiron complied with his lord's wishes and stepped forward to open the door to the lock-down unit. He entered first to determine if the area was secure, then waited for Emperor Frost to join him.

Serona shivered as the door opened, disturbing the stale air of her confinement. She looked to the door to see a large, commanding figure step through. She considered moving, but did not know whether to shrink away or rise to the occasion. In the end, she decided on nothing; she was too tired and weak to muster the energy to perform either task.

As Frost followed Kiron through the door, he frowned at the low level of lighting. The place felt all the more like a dungeon for the miniscule glowing of a few bulbs. "Surely, there must be more light here than this."

Before his master had voiced a concern, Kiron had already begun scanning the depths of the darkness for a way to increase the lighting. "Yes, My Lord," he commented softly as he reached his hand out to vanquish the darkness.

"Much better, Commander Kiron," Frost commented, as the room became more illuminated, revealing a long hall-like configuration with cells to one side in which prisoners would be kept. "Who do we have in here?"

Kiron referred to the information he had received on the ship's inhabitants. "It would appear the late lord left one prisoner, a Saiyan female. It says here, she was imprisoned by Lord Frieza and passed to Lord Cooler just before the lord's demise."

"I see," Frost commented noncommittally.

Allowing his master a few moments to absorb all the information he had been given during their tour, Kiron stepped to the doorway of the only occupied cell and turned on the lights within the cell to inspect the occupant.

Serona winced as the bright light illuminated her cell, closing her eyes as they adjusted to the light. So long had she been confined to the dark depths of the brig, she had honed her mental skills. They allowed her to keep tabs on activities outside her four walls of incarceration and had quite possibly been the only factor in ensuring she did not go completely mad.

She had felt the strength of the two newcomers long before they made their way to her tiny cell, but there was nothing she could do to prepare to meet them. Slowly, she blinked her eyes as they adjusted to the luxury that was light, but found she was unable to risk even a glance as the two men approached.

Looking in at the pitiful creature before him, Kiron could not help feeling a sense of empathy toward her. She was filthy, and her body was covered in healing wounds. The fact that she had been tortured was abundantly apparent.

She was laying on the hard floor, without so much as a blanket, and Kiron kneeled to be closer to her level. "Are you the Saiyan woman known as Serona?"

Fighting the urge to turn away, she forced herself to turn her face toward Kiron, her eyes downcast. Forcing herself to speak, she nodded slightly. "Yes," she replied quietly, her voice hoarse.

Kiron tried hard not to show any emotion as he heard the harshness in her voice. "Do you know who we are?"

Serona cleared her throat as she prepared to look at whom she assumed were her new captors. She started at Kiron's feet, then dragged her eyes up his body, to his face, where she was confronted with bright eyes set in a face trained well to hide emotion. She then flicked her eyes over to his companion; the familial resemblance was clear to her, not only in form but energy signal.

"He is Frost," she said flatly, no love lost for the members of the Ice-jin royal family. "But, as for you..." She studied his face again before the intensity became too great, forcing her to duck her head in embarrassment. "I do not know."

"He is _Emperor_ _Lord_ Frost, of the Ice-jin Empire, to you," Kiron stated insistently. "I am his servant, Kiron."

"Lord Commander Kiron," Frost corrected softly from behind the couching man.

A look of slight embarrassment crossed Kiron's face for a fleeting moment. He did not enjoy Frost's insistence that he use the title which had been bestowed on him. Compared to his lord, Kiron felt most humbled. "Yes, My Lord," he replied softly.

His embarrassment past, Kiron resumed questioning the woman before him. "We know you were taken prisoner from Vegeta-sei by Lord Frieza, but the records do not indicate why. Would you know the reasoning behind his actions?"

Frost shook his head. "Not now, Kiron. The girl needs medical attention."

Hearing the words Frost left unspoken, Kiron nodded quickly and stood. He inspected the keypad controlling all the cells' doors and entered a code, which opened Serona's door. Kiron quickly entered the cell, lifted the woman into his arms and gently transported her to the medical bay, where a doctor began working to return the prisoner to a state of healthiness.

When the doctor had finished his work, Kiron took his place at Serona's side, Frost having left before to attend to business elsewhere on the colony. "You were explaining why you were taken from your home before we relocated to medical," he prodded Serona to tell her story.

"Why Frieza would take me from my home, at barely five years of age, before he wiped us out?" Serona asked, devoid of emotion. She fully expected this to be another mind game.

"I don't know…" Serona started, not wanting to relive those early days…or more recent days. With a sigh, she continued, "We had a vile connection… He could take what I have learned, I can give willingly…" she started cryptically, before shaking her head.

"Let me start again. Do I have to tell you?" she asked, still unwilling to look directly at Kiron. Instead, she immersed herself in inspecting the doctor's work, and to her surprise some of the scars had immediately lessened in their intensity. With a hopeful rush, she discreetly pulled up her top to inspect a long-standing wound inflicted long ago.

However, an ugly, elongated, circular, papery scar still marked her stomach, starting just above her hip. Rubbing her face with one hand, she covered it.

Without further encouragement, Serona continued. "I had something he wanted. Zarbon...was instructed to take me. It was another slap in the face – Frieza in control of the two members of the future monarchy… But, then ironically, he saved it, didn't he?"

She stopped talking, knowing she was rambling. She was only accustomed to her own company and her own train of thoughts. A proper conversation was something she had long been without.

An air of seriousness overcame her, as she finally brought herself to look directly at Kiron. "Is this all another trick?" she asked. If deceit did not come through in his words, she wanted a chance to see the proof in his face.

"Another trick?" Kiron questioned Serona before frowning deeply. "You expect me to believe you were simply a victim of Lord Frieza's eccentricities? You did nothing to elicit your incarceration?"

Serona retracted into herself at the accusation. Shaking her head, she looked at Kiron with the utmost sincerity.

"I was only just five years old when I was taken. Can any child do any crime worthy of lifelong imprisonment at that age?" she asked with a slight frown and not a hint of sarcasm. "I intrigued him." She tapped her cheekbone, drawing Kiron's attention to the colour of her eyes. "Legend of a Super Saiyan, among other things… But, I suppose as I got older, I probably did more things to warrant my treatment."

She trailed off; her mind flicking back to the only damage she ever inflicted on Frieza in her late teenage years: cracking one of his cruel, revolting black horns. The retaliation she took in response was not proportional by any means, but the pain afterward was worth knowing the white tyrant was not invincible – there was hope.

"You can't take a child, treat them as a pet – and worse – and expect them not to retaliate. Especially not a Saiyan…"

She looked around the medical bay again, the bright clean area a welcome change of scene. "What is my fate now?" she asked, as her attention was brought to sight of a window. She ached to see something other than the prison's barren walls.

Kiron studied Serona as she spoke. "I suppose your fate depends upon you, now. What would you wish for your fate?"

"My fate…" Serona whispered to herself, before bringing her attention back toward Kiron with a frown. "Sounds like a game to me. What I would _wish_ for is my freedom. I want to walk off this ship and find whoever survives of my kind. Probably starting with Vegeta…"

She paused at the thought of actually seeing Vegeta – all those years of being so close, yet so far… He did not even know she survived; that much was clear. He would have moved on by now, found someone else, but for now, she had an oath she had to maintain for her parent's honour. Well, somewhat. She had offered the oath every kind of insult over the years.

Against his desire, Kiron's eyes softened ever-so-slightly. "I am afraid that will be impossible. None of us are, nor ever will, be free. We all enjoy differing degrees of slavery and servitude." As the doctor moved within hearing range of the pair, Kiron ended his speech. "Perhaps, you will find your new lord to suit you better than those of the past."

Serona moved to protest, as an overwhelming sadness sprang to her eyes; yet, no tears could fall. She was tired of crying. Too much time was wasted over the emotion in her youth. She shook her head, her throat hot and heavy as the hope she had unwittingly allowed herself was slaughtered. Her life was, once again, forfeit to an Ice-jin.

Kiron's hand moved toward Serona's chin as if it had a mind entirely of its own, and he caressed her with the backs of his fingers when the doctor moved away from them. "Give my lord a chance, Serona," he spoke softly. "Your race was destroyed by a hasty decision applied to an entire race, based on the actions and potential of one member. Do not make the same mistake as your worst enemy."

Serona instinctively jumped away from his touch and looked at him wide-eyed. Her shock turned into a slight frown, as she considered his words. "I would never wipe out an entire race…" she said, sure she was not understanding his meaning. "And, I can't give anyone a chance…" she finished, looking down into her lap, wondering when she would wake up and be back in Cooler's unforgiving possession – or worse.

"No, you _could_ destroy an entire race. It is in your species' blood. You cannot deny that. When the moon is full, no one is safe from a Saiyan's wrath.

"As for giving others a chance, you do not really have much choice." Kiron considered her situation. "The way I see things is this: you are in this prison colony and under my lord's power. That cannot be changed. What can change are the conditions under which you are held. You can be a member of the crew, who will be leaving soon, or you can go back to living in a dungeon. That choice, is yours and is much more than you have been offered in the past. I would consider your options very carefully before choosing your path, and remember, someone is giving you a chance this time - a choice."

"A choice with a condition? I am not making any promises; I have been taken advantage of too many times," she replied, twirling a thick lock of her hair around a finger. The concept of actually having a choice – if it was genuine – was also completely foreign to her. Any perceived 'choices' previously offered by Frieza would inevitably have the same outcome, no matter her choice.

"All choices have conditions," Kiron replied with the slightest hint of a smile in the lengthening of his lips.

"So, shall I inform our lord that you wish to be employed in his service, under my command?"

Serona looked at Kiron, really looked at him. The intensity of his eyes, the demanding presence of his being, his immaculate presentation and the well-trained stoic face. He did not look like one who would be deceitful, but Serona knew not to trust appearances.

Narrowing her eyes and turning her face slightly, she gave her unsure answer, "Yes…"

The only outward clue to Kiron's feelings was a single nod of approval he gave Serona. "Very well. I will convey your desire to our lord and speak to him on your behalf. For now, your orders are to remain here, until you are well enough for service. Concentrate on your healing, and then, you will be shown to your quarters."

Kiron rose to his feet and turned to leave and allow Serona to carry out her given order, then thought better of his plans and turned to face her, again. "Welcome into the service of Lord Emperor Frost." He quickly turned with a flourishing wave of his cape and left the medical bay to fulfil his end of he and Serona's agreement, confident his lord would be pleased.

Serona was not sure to what she had just agreed. Her eyes turned to the medic, who was approaching her, and watched his every move. She did not like being alone one bit.

"If you would come this way," the doctor said, trying to lead her by her arm. She shrugged it back roughly from him.

"I can walk," she told him. "What do you want?"

The doctor explained the regeneration tank methodology to her: how it accelerates healing under a state of unconsciousness.

"You want me to strip and let you put me in a regeneration tank where I am _completely _defenceless?" Serona asked measurably as she backed away from the machine.

The doctor was stunned at her reaction and could only nod at her question. "Not completely bare…" he tried to offer in reassurance.

"Not a chance," she said.

"But, Lord Kiron…"

"No. Not you, not him. No."

"Serona, I am only trying to help," the doctor started to plead, wanting to fulfil his duties and treat his patient to the best of his ability. Disappointing Lord Commander Kiron was a dangerous mistake. Though his form of justice was fair, it was also often swift and violent.

"Stay away…" Serona warned in a dangerously low voice. Her body was taut with tension, as ki flicked around her fingertips in warning.

The doctor lookedat the Saiyan despairingly. There was a long list of patients to tend on this planet and fighting a frightened woman was not an activity for which the doctor had time. He looked over his diagnosis from the brief check-up he had given her under Kiron'ssupervision and sighed.

"Okay, then," herelented. "This way."


End file.
